Have you ever received a package from a small business that was ugly and impractical?
If you have ever purchased something from websites like Ali Express or Wish, you will know what I’m talking about: gray plastic packages that are impossible to open and that don’t offer a nice customer experience.
It’s okay for them — the bulk of their products are cheaply produced so these packages represent the product they contain. They don’t need to be remembered by their clients. They need to be quick to wrap and as inexpensive as possible.
For a small businesses though, it’s absolutely not the way to go. If a client spends their hard earned money on one of your products and you don’t wrap it in a manner that shows you put a little effort into it, they might think you overcharged them.
Adding a personal touch to your packaging can really go a long way and help your business be remembered by your customers. It also creates an awesome unboxing experience that your customers could happily share on social media.
Branding is a huge part of the whole customer experience. How do you want your brand image to be portrayed? Incorporating your brand identity (your logo, colors, taglines and more) can help to elevate any small business into a more professional looking company.
Does this sound like a lot? Don’t fret! Here are some well thought out packaging ideas for small business owners to help improve your small business! Let’s dive in!
Sustainable Packaging Ideas
Nowadays, people want to diminish as much as possible their environmental impact on the planet. Their purchases have already traveled so much, so it helps if the packaging itself to reusable, recyclable and even compostable. If your brand is an eco-conscious one, sustainable packaging should be a number one priority for you!
Brown Kraft paper is a good idea for non-breakable items, and it’s very affordable. You can purchase thicker kraft mailer envelopes, paper bags, and cardboard boxes from virtually any packaging store for a fraction of the cost of custom packaging.
A plain box can only go so far. If you need to protect your products, maybe custom cardboard packaging is the solution for you. You can design and purchase custom boxes with inserts online from places like PakFactory, Arka or PrintingBlue.
Creative Kraft Packaging Ideas
If you sell homemade products, the packaging should reflect that and feel homemade too. Your packaging should showcase the effort that went into creating your products and attract your ideal target customers.
For this effect, craft paper is the way to go. You can even go farther by customizing it. For example this paper was painted on and the result is so cute!
You can also use stamps to decorate your paper in an affordable way. Choose your brand slogan or choose a cheerful message or handwritten note and have a custom stamp of your company logo made for your business needs.
Small scraps of fabrics and some organic touches are another great way to create eye-catching custom packaging. Some cinnamon sticks, twine, dried foliage and more can be used.
A wax seal is a nice touch on packaging and creates an ultra special, vintage feel and lasting impression. You can also get custom wax stamps made.
The outside of your mailer packages can also be decorated and designed just for your customer. Write some cute messages or use colorful washi tapes to match your brand.
Custom Boxes
If your sales are consistent and you can afford to do it, you can also buy custom boxes for your business. Be sure to be consistent through all your packages, it will help your brand if it’s easily recognizable. Check out these awesome product packaging ideas that use custom boxes:
There are many custom box companies online that can get your vision just right. This pottery brand created a cohesive feel throughout their boxes and branding which really helps the business go the extra mile.
This creative bread company found a unique way to display their buns! You can order custom window boxes for food products that also look great on store shelves.
You can also choose to to design a package for just one product. Above are two great examples of packing made to enhance or highlight a single product.
Jewelry Packaging Ideas
There are so many cute packaging ideas for jewelry and accessory brands that you can grab some inspiration from! Here are a few of our faves…
DashingandDainty made beautiful cards for their earrings that display the product on simplified illustrated women.
For a small product, sometimes all you need is a small package! These adorable polymer clay earrings are pinned to simple thin cards that allow the product to do the talking!
A simple piece of card printed with your logo on the top and social media info on the bottom creates the perfect packaging for scrunchies.
This brand knows how to work brand recognition. The included insert cards and graphics perfectly compliment the jewelry packaging and incorporate lovely design elements throughout. If you need help with branding, you can always get in touch with a graphic designer!
Custom Stickers
Custom stickers are the perfect way to enhance your packaging and bring brand awareness to your products. They act as a simple marketing tool that can be placed virtually anythere. Here are some great ideas:
These stickers look so vibrant and include the brand’s logo, but they also include a QR code which eliminates the need for all of those social handles! Clever!
You can also make your own custom logo stickers using a thermal label printer like a Rollo or Munbyn printer. They are a cost-effective way to create your own stickers at home and come in a variety of different colored options.
Creative Business Cards
Business cards are an important part of marketing! The right business card will not simply be thrown out, but saved or tacked somewhere visible. Here are some lovely business card ideas to include with your packaging:
The front and back of these cards compliment one another so well. If you were considering only printing on the front of a card, you’re wasting valuable real estate! An eye-catching design on one side encourages the customer to flip it over for more.
If you are able to offer a loyalty program to your customers, using business cards for this purpose is a great idea and builds brand loyalty!
This idea is a creative way to get a little more personal with your customers! A lovely stationery set that was designed with a personal instant photo insert. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative with the cut of your cards, either! This waved edge adds just the right amount of interest.
Practical Packaging Ideas
Another example of creative packing with a single product in mind are these bottles containing honey. They are stackable and form a honeycomb — I find this simply genius!
This box is easily opened, with practicality and a sleek design in mind.
Transparent envelopes can be a great way to protect pieces of art. The fact that we can see through the envelope make us want to open it even more.
This packaging idea is both sustainable and practical – give your customers a unique bag to keep after they’ve opened their package. If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, this is also a handy way to cut out plastic bags.
This packaging ideas is especially brilliant for plants: they won’t be crushed and can even be watered during the shipping process. They are also easy to carry, which is not often the case with plants.
Luxury Packaging Ideas
For luxury businesses, packages should be practical, environmentally-conscious and have a little something that surprise clients by the efforts put in it. If you’re offering a product at a premium price, its super important that your packaging is on point!
This double-sided box can be personalized both outside and inside — little details that can improve the feel of luxurious packaging.
Embossed wrapping on these beauty products help small gifts stand out and leave a positive impression.
These two above examples of embossed packages are stunning, they really make me feel the products are lavish.
If you create a limited edition of a product for Christmas or the anniversary of your brand, it will be seen as a rare item as not every one can get it: your product is now a luxury and the packaging should reflect that.
I hope this article gave you ideas for your small business so that even your packaging can reflect well on your brand.
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